1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a coaxial drive apparatus for multidirectional control and, more particularly, to a coaxial drive apparatus for multidirectional control, which can control the moving direction of an object laid on a stage by rotating the object or by moving the object in a horizontal direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
A multidirectional control apparatus that can simultaneously perform a translation of an object in X- and Y-directions and a rotation of the object in a direction of θ is generally used to control the moving direction of an object laid on an inspection stage used to inspect semiconductor wafers, LCDs, etc. The multidirectional control apparatus is also used to variously control the measurement direction of a sample in an analysis system, such as a magnetic resonance system, a mass analyzer or an electron microscope.
As an example of conventional technologies relating to the present invention, Korean Patent No. 10-1242677 discloses a triaxial stage used in a high magnetic field measurement system with an extremely low temperature stage.
As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional triaxial stage disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1242677 includes an X-axial moving unit 210 (211, 212, 213, 214) that moves in an X-axial direction, an Y-axial moving unit 220 (221, 222, 223) that moves in an Y-axial direction, and a rotary unit 230 (231, 232) that is configured to be rotated, so the triaxial stage can move an extremely low temperature stage (not shown) laid thereon in triaxial directions.
However, as shown in FIG. 1, the conventional triaxial stage is problematic in that the X-axial moving unit 210, the Y-axial moving unit 220 and the rotary unit 230 are laid on top of each other, so the triaxial stage has a large volume and the space for installing the triaxial stage is limited. Further, the drive shafts of the respective units 210, 220 and 230 are directed in different directions, so the triaxial stage limits the control space and control direction of an operator.
As another example of conventional technologies relating to the present invention, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2012-0118543 discloses a microscopically drivable, high precision triaxial stage. This triaxial stage is also problematic in that respective units constituting the stage are laid on top of each other, so the triaxial stage may not be installed in a limited space of a small-sized system.
The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding of the background of the present invention, and is not intended to mean that the present invention falls within the purview of the related art that is already known to those skilled in the art.